The figure within the black mist offered no reply. Steward Zhao hastily recounted the entire sequence of events, meticulously detailing every point.

"Very good. However, should you dare to breathe a single syllable of this to anyone now, I alone shall hold you accountable."

The Heavenly Demon's voice carried a chilling indifference that sent tremors of ice deep into Steward Zhao’s bones. He stammered, trembling uncontrollably, "I would never, your Sublimity. Your subordinate would absolutely not reveal a single word. But..."

"But what?" the Heavenly Demon demanded coldly.

"Lei Dong only possessed twenty million contribution points. To prevent him from becoming suspicious, I took the liberty of asking for an additional million," Steward Zhao began, wiping sweat from his brow and contorting his face in misery. "However, we are still short by one hundred and twenty-nine million contribution points. I wonder if the Hall Master could perhaps substitute this with spirit stones?~"

"Heh heh." The Heavenly Demon laughed instead of growing angry, a cold, mocking sound escaping as he chided, "To ask this Venerable One for spirit stones over just one of your broken wings? Whoever dares object can come and debate with me; we'll see whose fist is harder." As his words faded, the Heavenly Demon gave a final, sharp snort and dissolved into a swirling mass of demonic energy, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Steward Zhao collapsed onto the floor, his face pale, his bitter smile fixed. He chastised himself for his momentary lapse of sense. The Heavenly Demon Hall Master—his grand-aunt—always took whatever she pleased within the Sect. Objections? Who dared object to his grand-aunt? Steward Zhao grimaced bitterly. If his grand-aunt had taken the wing, Zhao Chong wouldn't dare utter a single complaint. But this thing... Lei Dong took it! Ah, the wing of the Asura King—even if it was damaged—it was still the Asura King's wing! It wasn't some piece of junk casually picked up off the roadside!

Leaving Steward Zhao to weep internally [Update from Great Fiend Club Little Beauty], Lei Dong, blissfully unaware that he had struck an incredible bargain, stormed out of the City Lord's Mansion with the heavily damaged Asura Wing. He was already plotting revenge for some future day. However, having already expended such a colossal sum of contribution points to acquire these wings, it would be a sheer waste not to utilize them.

If he were at the headquarters of the Yin Sha Sect, Lei Dong could easily find the Sect's exclusive artifact refiners. A major sect like Yin Sha would undoubtedly have several Artifact Grandmasters. However, those of the Grandmaster level were usually restricted to the headquarters, and even when traveling occasionally, they required protection from Golden Core cultivators. The individual accompanying the Third Commandery to the Southern Island was merely an Artifact Master. After Lei Dong inquired, the man deliberated for a long while before concluding that his chances of successfully refining it were slim.

Currently, Lei Dong was bound by his official duties; returning to the Yin Sha Sect without authorization would certainly result in disciplinary action. Furthermore, setting out from the Southern Island alone for the Sect was not guaranteed to be safe.

Consequently, Lei Dong had no choice but to try his luck in the small island city, Xiao Zhou City, to see if he could find someone to undertake the refinement. He wandered around the city, inquiring at several shops dealing in refining materials, but not a single one claimed the ability to forge the wing of a Great Asura into a true winged spirit artifact. Some were eager to take on the massive task, but after Lei Dong intimidated them with his status as a battle disciple of the Yin Sha Sect, they immediately grew fearful, claiming their experience was insufficient and their grasp uncertain.

Lei Dong naturally could not entrust the Asura Wing to such individuals. Yet, his efforts were not entirely fruitless. Through coercion and temptation, he managed to uncover the name of one person who should possess the capability to refine the Great Asura's Wing.

To be safe, Lei Dong made further discreet inquiries. Indeed, this person held a notable reputation within Xiao Zhou City. However, this reputation belonged to the past. The man's name was Wang Lei—a perfectly common name. Yet, this person was far from ordinary. He originated from an unremarkable, obscure cultivation family on the seventy-sixth Southern Island. Most members of this small family possessed some minor aptitude for artifact refinement, and their ancestors had once included a renowned Artifact Grandmaster. By Wang Lei's generation, this renown had faded. Wang Lei’s talent for cultivation was mediocre, but his aptitude for artifact refinement was superb. From childhood, he assisted his father in refining items for artifact merchants. By the age of fifteen, he had surpassed his teacher and become an Artifact Master. Artifact Masters were not uncommon in the top-tier sects.

However, in a minor locale like the Seventy-Six Southern Islands, and being so young, Wang Lei quickly gained considerable fame. With this renown, he used the spirit stones he earned to vigorously create an excellent environment for his own cultivation resources. Gradually, by the age of forty, he not only broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage but also ascended to become an Artifact Grandmaster.

From that point forward, Wang Lei truly embarked on a path of soaring success. Countless merchants arrived bearing vast amounts of spirit stones, begging for cooperation in managing artifact shops or pleading for his help in refining artifacts. At that time, Wang Lei enjoyed unparalleled glory, a glory that never waned. Because by the time he reached ninety years of age, his refining skills had reached the zenith of perfection, and he became an Artifact Grandmaster.

Across the vast lands, countless young individuals attempt to enter the path of artifact refinement, seeking achievement. Yet, those who ultimately become Artifact Grandmasters are exceedingly rare—like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Especially those who achieve the Grandmaster level relying almost entirely on themselves, without the vigorous cultivation provided by a large sect, are exceptionally scarce. Consequently, not only did great families and powerful forces seek to recruit him, but even the Eight Supreme Sects sent envoys bearing grand gifts, attempting to lure him into their ranks.

However, Wang Lei at that time was proud and arrogant, viewing everyone with disdain. He dared to reject even the supreme sects, one by one. No one deliberately made things difficult for him after he rejected all the supreme sects. Firstly, it was to display the magnanimity of the great supreme sects; secondly, Wang Lei had sworn a solemn oath never to join any sect. Rather than needlessly damaging their reputation, it was better to cultivate a good relationship with this neutral Refinement Grandmaster, as he might prove useful later.

Thereafter, Wang Lei’s fame grew even greater. Cultivators flocked to him with endless requests. Even top-tier sects, including the Yin Sha Sect, would seek out Wang Lei when their own Grandmasters were too occupied. Relying on this rare skill, Wang Lei commanded almost absolute influence—what he asked for, he got. Spirit stones and all manner of rare heavenly treasures poured toward him like a flood. And he, in turn, used this massive influx of resources to forcefully propel himself to the Golden Core stage.

Simultaneously, after a lifetime of hard work, he met the love of his life, married her, and lived happily. Soon after, they welcomed a pair of twin children. Had it not been for that accident, Wang Lei might have lived out his entire life in blissful contentment.

At that time, a madman emerged within the Demonic Prison Sect, already at the late Golden Core cultivation. This individual lived solely for slaughter. Originally, the Demonic Prison Sect cared little for such a person; a madman was a madman, as long as he benefited the Sect. However, one day, for unknown reasons, this madman suddenly vanished. Not long after, when he reappeared, he had become a demon that shocked the entire cultivation world—a string of bloody massacres, ceaseless, pointless slaughter, and extreme, gruesome violations against female cultivators. Many hated and feared him, calling him the Blood Fiend.

The major righteous sects, along with the Demonic Prison Sect, dispatched their experts to deal with the Blood Fiend. The former might have done so to eliminate him, while the Demonic Prison Sect wished to capture him, confine him, and use various means to control him, turning him back into a weapon for the Sect.

But everyone seemed to have underestimated the Blood Fiend. For some reason, he had managed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, even if his realm was unstable. After desperately eliminating several pursuers, he actually managed to escape. He fled toward the East Sea.

This situation brought about the contrasting halves of Wang Lei's life: the happiness of the first half and the tragedy of the second. His wife and daughter were defiled and slaughtered before his eyes; his son was violently swallowed alive. This shattered Wang Lei completely. Begging or threatening the Blood Fiend was utterly useless. Just as Wang Lei was about to suffer the same fate, more experts from the top sects, having tracked him, arrived and startled the Blood Fiend away. They pursued him relentlessly until he fled over a million li east of the East Sea's Star Islands.

Beyond that point, even the experts from the top sects had to retreat in failure. For venturing further meant entering the territory of the Sea Clan. If Sea Clan masters trespassed into human lands, it was tantamount to seeking death. But human experts venturing into Sea Clan territory faced an even dimmer outlook.

Those experts could only conclude that the pursuit of the Blood Fiend was temporarily concluded.

They each returned to their respective sects.

After that, the Blood Fiend never reappeared. His period of rampage across the world gradually faded from memory. But the victims, and those connected to them, could not forget. Wang Lei was among them.

Indeed, many people could not withstand such a blow, and Wang Lei was no exception. He stopped refining artifacts for others. Instead, he settled quietly on an island devoid of spiritual energy, spending every day desperately cultivating. Using the spirit stones he had accumulated over many years, he ceaselessly purchased extremely rare spiritual medicines, striving to push his cultivation level higher.

However, haste makes waste. His innate talent was ordinary; his previous achievements were entirely propped up by medicinal resources. He had almost no experience in life-or-death combat. Consequently, no matter how hard he cultivated, his realm remained stubbornly stuck at the early Golden Core stage. By now, he had completely abandoned cultivation, surviving alone on that small island, a total wreck of a man.

After learning some of Wang Lei’s history, Lei Dong felt that approaching him and persuading him to refine the Great Asura Wing would be exceptionally difficult. However, since he had nothing pressing to do, and with time to spare, Lei Dong decided to head toward the location of that island he had managed to learn about. Of course, Lei Dong did not travel alone; he had persuaded Zhang Heng to illegally commandeer the Netherworld No. 9 for the journey.

Lei Dong was cautious. Who knew what went on in the mind of an old monster who had lost all purpose in life? What if he took a disliking to Lei Dong and decided to swat him dead with a single palm? Against someone so utterly unconstrained, Lei Dong exercised extreme vigilance. Traveling with the Netherworld No. 9 was essential.

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